burleytog

Well, I will say this. This thing may be a little stiffer than I would like, but I can feel the blades of a small spinnerbait fluttering in the current with it. Going to make fishing the river with an Ugly Stik quite hard to do. :-/

First, reboot your machine. Once it is booted, try plugging the drive in once. Close any open programs before trying. Second, did you install the software that came with the external drive? I tried several external DVD-R/RW drives when they hit the market several years ago. I could never get them to work in a manner that was acceptable to me. IMO if it is your computer you are much better off buying and installing an internal drive. Less chance for screwups and more reliable than using a USB connection.

I'd kill for a day half as good as that.

We've had highs in the upper 70s over the last 3 days with lows in the mid 50s. Perfect recipe for jumpstarting the fish. I've been trying the small river here at work since the time changed, haven't had any luck. Came in a little early this evening and hit a spot I'd been saving. First cast I got a bite. Three casts later the Rocket Shad got hit like a ton of bricks. The fish put up a good fight before surrendering to the power of the St Croix. The result? A nice 12" superfat pig of a smallmouth. They rarely get bigger in this river. I know we'll probably have a cold snap or two before spring really sets in, but I am really loving this warm weather. Now if only I could manage to get the boat out. No photo of the fish, but this is a photo of where I was fishing. I was standing on the big rocks to the left.

I like the Stradic, but that wacky knob on the handle is giving me fits. Thinking about selling both of mine and picking up Symetre 2500's. :-/ I've two Stradics (2500) and one Symetre (750). Hard to compare as they are different in size, but I like the Symetre just as well as I do the Stradic with the exception of the knob.

You want a small diameter light line. 6 or 8 lb. P-Line CX, #6 YoZuri Hybrid Ultra Soft (although it isn't that small in diameter), 6 or 8 lb. Berkley Vanish. Light line is the key to the drop shot technique.

Yeah, DD22's are out. Mainly because it is only 12' deep. The only thing in the bottom of that tank is good old sludge. And no, in 13 years of work in this field, I've never seen a single brown trout. Lots of cooter smelt, but no brown trout...

My place of business.

You should always put tension on line when reeling it in. If you've got line out to let the twist out or just when putting it on a reel.

Congratulations...where's my cigar? Good thing he isn't in the slot, otherwise you would have had to throw him back. ;D Get that boy a nice blue hat with a red C on it.

Just holds 250 000 gallons though. ;D

B.L. Municipal Water Reclaimation See below...

I wouldn't worry about doing any damage to your boat. I would worry more about that mount not being able to support any amount of weight for an extended period of time. As far as I know (and it isn't all that far ;D ), you can turn the head on your motor around.

I hate ordering online.

Your avatar scares me.

Fishing a Premier Spin 66MF for the first time this week. It is a lot stiffer than any other medium I've got. More like the MH spinning rods I've got. In retrospect I should have looked a little more closely at the bait weight ratings as it is rated for 1/4-5/8 oz. It doesn't do too well with a 1/8 oz. jig/grub. Are all Premier rods this way? I've got a PC 66MHF that I've been using for jigs so far this year and it doesn't seem nearly as stiff as the spinning rod. Wondering if the Avid is a little more flexible.

Avid, you're making me long for summer and pontoon boats on the big lakes. ;D

MudMan, you're always welcome in the back of my boat. We'll be Team MookNeck.

Hybrid and Hybrid Ultra-Soft are available from Cabelas. Hybrid is available from Bass Pro Shops, but I do believe they are clearing out their stock.

IMO fish do grow weary of baits presented in the same way every time. That is why it is a good idea to change things up every once and a while. Instead of presenting perpendicularly to the bank, trying working parallel. Avid, I agree totally. If I'm in a boat I've got to worry about the wind and keeping the boat in position. If I'm on the bank, I've just got the bait to worry about. Many more distractions for a boat fisherman. Plus I am very tempted to cover as much water as possible instead of fishing a hole from every possible angle.

I think with the increasing popularity of the shakey-head technique we're going to see more floating offerings. My only problem with most floating worms (other than the 3X) is that the colors aren't always what they should be. I know Bass Pro's floating worms are all a little weird. The green pumpkin is actually more of a pistachio cake color (yellowish-green). I like the Zoom products quite well, although their colors have spoiled me. I find myself shunning a lot of other bait companies because their colors don't match up with Zoom.

Black Bass for the NES...best fishing game EVER. 8-)

As long as water has been sufficiently chlorinated, there will be no pathogens present.

#6 Ultra Soft is 0.011 in diameter, which is the same as 10 lb. test Trilene XL. I run 10 lb. Trilene on a couple of casting reels and haven't had any trouble.

Middle tray, all the way to the right.